Hi, I think this was answered (and the answer ignored) on question 18425

That's not true, Sarraceniac, the answer was not ignored, if you look back at the question, the asker responded with thanks.
Susanlouise, it might mean the plant will die, it certainly sounds as if something isn't right - if you mean by fungus coming out of it, some sort of oozing from the area, then it could be a bacterial infection of some kind, probably caused by the extreme winter we've had. You can either wait and see what happens, or try cutting the plant down to a point past where the problem is and hope it shoots from the base or further up the remaining stem. However, I'd wait till the weekend to do this as we're having a cold snap currently.

The answer was ignored in the sense that advice was given and the asker did what they were going to do all along. I'm sorry about this but when I was in practice, if I give (or gave as I'm now retired) a patient advice and they then did exactly what they were going to do all the time, I would consider my advice ignored. Even if they said thank you. I just made this point on another forum. Even pro-gardeners agreed with me.

You highlight a point that is a problem in life generally, and certainly in every professional field, I'd imagine Sarraceniac! I've lost count of the number of friends and clients I've given the correct advice to, and then they've done what they were going to do anyway, and it's all gone Pete Tong... But that's just human nature - if you're asked a question, and you provide a detailed, considered and preferably accurate answer, you've carried out your part of the bargain - what the person does next is their choice, you've done your bit. That's how I feel about it, anyway - we're just signposts, that's all, you can follow the road or take another one, ultimately, it's each individual's choice.
Apologies, Susanlouise, for seconding your question for a discussion about human nature, lol! Hope you don't mind too much

My apologies too Susanlouise but it does annoy me when somebody asks for advice, somebody gives them it, or more often, several somebodies, and then they say that they are going to do what they were going to do in the first place. Why do they ask for advice if they don't want it? I have several friends who are practicing (or retired) psychiatrists. They explain it by saying that the people are asking because they want to confirm that they are right. If the advice is that they are wrong then they cannot accept it. I dealt with life and death matters during my professional life, so my advice was usually accepted. If I didn't know the workable answer then I would refer them to somebody who would. Thank goodness that on here people are only killing plants, not themselves. At least on a gardening forum, there are usually several possible answers. It's the old saying 'Ask 5 gardeners a question and you will get 10 answers'. They all have an element of truth.

Too true - very often the answer isn't clear cut because lots of things are possible with a living thing. I'd phrase it differently, in regard to your psychiatrist comments - people want reinforcement, or permission, to do what they want to do, and when they don't get it, they often do what they wanted anyway. But sometimes, people ask because they genuinely want the information before deciding what to do - and you're a better man than me if you can tell the difference between the two types just from a question;-))

Actually. Forget psychiatrist friends. Let's call them colleagues.